Chittagong University (CU) administration has decided to launch a circular bus service after students blocked the university’s main gate demanding improved transport facilities.
CU Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Mohammad Al-Amin urged students to refrain from blocking the university gate as a means of protest, saying such practices should not become a part of campus culture.
The administration assured students that four permanent circular buses would be introduced on the route between the university’s 1st Gate and Zero Point following a protest led by the Chittagong University Central Student Union (Cucsu).
Al-Amin confirmed the decision around 1am on Monday after holding discussions with the protesting students at Zero Point. He said the students’ main demand was the permanent introduction of circular buses on campus.
“As it was late, we came to speak with the students so that they could return to their respective halls,” he said.
The pro-vice-chancellor said four buses would start operating from the following day on a loop route between Zero Point intersection and the 1st Gate, adding that there was no need to continue the protest after the demand had been accepted.
Expressing concern over the practice of locking the university’s main gate during protests, Al-Amin described it as a “bad culture” and said the administration had worked hard to overcome the practice.
He hoped students would avoid blocking or locking the main gate over minor issues in the future.
The protest began on Monday after auto-rickshaw (CNG) drivers increased fares, citing a rise in gas prices. The fare hike led to disputes between drivers and students, following which CNG services on the campus were suspended.
Demanding a circular bus service and protesting the fare increase, students led by Cucsu blocked the university’s main gate around 8:00pm.
After a four-hour sit-in, Al-Amin arrived at the protest site around 1:00am and held talks with the students. Following his assurance of introducing four permanent circular buses, students removed the blockade and reopened the entrance.
Cucsu Communication and Housing Secretary Md Ishak Bhuiyan said students had been protesting since 8:30pm against the “CNG syndicate’s” fare hike and demanding a circular bus service.
He said the administration accepted their demands around 12:30am. According to Bhuiyan, students had initially demanded five buses, while the administration proposed three before both sides reached an agreement on four buses.
The service will initially operate from the university’s 1st Gate to the Biology Faculty, he added.
Representatives from different political and non-political organisations also joined the protest.
